Originally posted by pmiles

I don't really understand the point of early access...

Are they afraid that letting everyone start the game on the same day will cause the servers to implode?  If so, they will have some serious problems on the actual release day.

Are they actually looking to stagger the player base so that some are well into the content before the others are even allowed to start it?  Those first to 50 are going to be waiting on the rest at some point and those just at level 1, especially on PVP servers, will likely find themselves farmed by higher levels for no other reason than they got a head start over everyone else.

I'm not a big fan of express passes... remembered Disney World offered them and nothing pissed you off more than standing in line for 3 hours to get on a ride only to watch people waltz to the head of the line and get on the ride right away.  More likely than not, most players that pre-ordered also did open beta test and got a look at the candy store early already.  So it's not about being able to see it first... far from it.

If the game is ready 5 days early, why not launch the game 5 days early?  Why start the game staggered?  Might as well let beta testers start the game with toons they created/leveled in beta if starting out at the same time really doesn't matter.

It has started to become a tradition.

Most MMO people are happy pay an extra sum of money for a headstart. The fact is that so many ppl pay for a headstart that it's not really a headstart. :)

People want this because a big part of the fun in MMO's is a race against others, going to 50 or being the first master crafter, or yeah PK'ing noobs after the rest of the croud gets in on the normal launch.

This is exactly why an "Early Access" in phases would be a bad thing for the community.

Originally posted by pmiles

I don't really understand the point of early access...

Are they afraid that letting everyone start the game on the same day will cause the servers to implode?  If so, they will have some serious problems on the actual release day.

Are they actually looking to stagger the player base so that some are well into the content before the others are even allowed to start it?  Those first to 50 are going to be waiting on the rest at some point and those just at level 1, especially on PVP servers, will likely find themselves farmed by higher levels for no other reason than they got a head start over everyone else.

I'm not a big fan of express passes... remembered Disney World offered them and nothing pissed you off more than standing in line for 3 hours to get on a ride only to watch people waltz to the head of the line and get on the ride right away.  More likely than not, most players that pre-ordered also did open beta test and got a look at the candy store early already.  So it's not about being able to see it first... far from it.

If the game is ready 5 days early, why not launch the game 5 days early?  Why start the game staggered?  Might as well let beta testers start the game with toons they created/leveled in beta if starting out at the same time really doesn't matter.

It doesn't have to make sense. It is their game, they can run it however they want. That said, they want to make sure a good experience for every player. Some people might like to play a MMO when there are no mobs to kill and 1000 players fighting for one. Some clearly do not enjoy that experience. I think it is smart for Bioware to funnel people in so people move on in different pace. 

If you know you are going to play the game, there is no lost in pre-order the game. They are not charging extra for the early access so the Disney Land metaphor doesn't really fit in here. 

It is also smart not to open way too many servers at launch. Many MMO did that and they end up merging server right and left. Popular or not, some will stay and some will not. It is better to make sure servers have healthy population down the road.

Originally posted by epoq

Yeah. If I get 1 day out of 5 I'll be pretty pissed.  Otherwise it should be Ok.

For CE pre-orders though, not only should you be guaranteed the full 5 days, it should also come with a free blowjob pass from a Bioware executive assistant/receptionist because that shyt is outrageously overpriced.

you do know... that if you haven't registered your code.  you'll get no early access... right?

that being said.  if you waited til the last moment to buy the CE.   that's also your fault.  CE arguably is for diehard fans.   ...i mean, the game was targeted for spring 2011.  the fact that it's x-mas 2011 means you're several months behind right there.

the fact that they're doing any early access is pretty nice.  gives people a chance to squat names.  get guilds up an running... front load your main out of the n00b hell holes.    

that being said. the system favors the people who've followed the game.   as it should be.     not simply people with the most disposable income.

ps.   ...cheapest digital download.   bought/registed day of pre-order release.   i'll be in enjoying my 5 days while you QQ mor

I pre-ordered like 2 weeks ago.

Hope i at least get 3 days, but im ok with 1, it's just the way it is.

Hoping that the they stagger the early acces every 2 or 3 hours instead of days, you know, send invites, open 10 servers, 3 hours later (instead of 1 day) send more invites, open another 10 servers, etc.

Offical post on SWTOR's site:

One of the benefits to pre-ordering Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ is that you will gain Early Game Access before launch on December 20th. This is a chance to start your epic Star Wars saga early, as you’ll be able to create and play your character ahead of the official live game launch.

Many of you have been wondering how long Early Game Access will last, and we are now happy to announce that depending on when you redeem your Pre-Order Code, you will gain Early Game Access up to five days before the official game launch date.

Early Game Access is staggered over five days to ensure a quality experience for players at launch. Staggering access aids server stability and a gradual increase in player population through the game. Early Game Access will be granted according to when your Pre-Order Code is redeemed at the Code Redemption Center. If you have not yet pre-ordered Star Wars: The Old Republic, there’s still time! Visit our Pre-Order page for more information and watch the Collector’s Edition Unboxing video for a peek inside this highly coveted edition of the game.

Keep up to date with the latest official news on Star Wars: The Old Republic, including any updates on Early Game Access by visiting www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com, or by liking us on Facebook and following us on Twitter.

Originally posted by Talonsin

Originally posted by epoq

Yeah. If I get 1 day out of 5 I'll be pretty pissed.  Otherwise it should be Ok.

For CE pre-orders though, not only should you be guaranteed the full 5 days, it should also come with a free blowjob pass from a Bioware executive assistant/receptionist because that shyt is outrageously overpriced.

So you feel that pre-ordering 2 weeks before launch is enough to get you more than one day of extra game time but the people who ordered months ago only get 5 days? 

Here is what I recommend you do to get a "real" grasp on what you deserve... 

1. Take the total amount of time the game has been available for preorder before the launch date. 

2. Divide that into 5 equal parts

3. See where you end up which pre-ordering just two weeks before launch.

 

I think pre-order started July 21st but I could be wrong.  Based on that I get the following breakdown:

July21-Aug20 = 5 day early access

Aug21-Sept20 = 4 day early access

Sept21-Oct21 = 3 day early access

Oct22-Nov21 = 2 day early access

Nov22-Dec19 = 1 day early access

 

To be honest, this is not what they will do, they will probably take the total number of preorders and divide it that way but also give some extra effort to CE and DD editions over the basic edition. 

 

Honestly, no matter how you look at it from a FAIR point of view, someone who pre-ordered in Dec should not get more than a days worth of early access.  Sorry mate, I think you are asking for more than you deserve.

Not really about fair.  It's just an alternative way of doing a launch.  EQ was the only "big" MMO I wasn't there for on launch day, because I was in HS and didn't start playing until Kunark.  Every other big title that allowed it I have pre-ordered and gotten early access if it was available.  I do not recall any other companies doing a staggered launch, and to be fair, back years ago it would have made more sense than it does today.  WoW was a total crash and burn when the servers opened up at launch, but I mean it's 2012.  Staggering has got to be more for preventing the nerdrage more than anything else.  Camped spawns is annoying, but guess what, when the final "launch" takes place, there is the potential for all 5 days worth of staggered players to be on at the same time.  If the servers can't handle this from day 1 of early access, they sure as hell can't handle it on the "official" launch day.

I'm sure BioWare has it's reasons for doing this, but I just can't understand what they are, and to me, it seems like a stupid ass idea.  I'm not saying I'm more deserving of full early access than someone who preordered in July, I'm just saying its something BioWare is doing that makes little to no sense in the long run.

Originally posted by veritas723

Originally posted by epoq

Yeah. If I get 1 day out of 5 I'll be pretty pissed.  Otherwise it should be Ok.

For CE pre-orders though, not only should you be guaranteed the full 5 days, it should also come with a free blowjob pass from a Bioware executive assistant/receptionist because that shyt is outrageously overpriced.

you do know... that if you haven't registered your code.  you'll get no early access... right?

 

that being said.  if you waited til the last moment to buy the CE.   that's also your fault.  CE arguably is for diehard fans.   ...i mean, the game was targeted for spring 2011.  the fact that it's x-mas 2011 means you're several months behind right there.

 

the fact that they're doing any early access is pretty nice.  gives people a chance to squat names.  get guilds up an running... front load your main out of the n00b hell holes.    

 

that being said. the system favors the people who've followed the game.   as it should be.     not simply people with the most disposable income.

 

 

 

 

{mod edit}

{mod edit} I was merely stating the fact that I basically don't understand BioWare's stance on the staggered access.  As I stated before, if it's for server load issues, if it can't handle everyone at once on day 1, then it won't be able to handle everyone on the official launch day when we are all playing at the same time.  To my knowledge they have multiple instances of the zones set up to offset spawn camping and wait times.  They stress test the games to make sure it can handle these loads beforehand.  They also know how many pre-orders they are going to have upfront before launch so they should know what to expect and know whether or not the servers can handle the chaos. 

My understanding is they will slowly increase populatin. Id expect them to do what thy did in beta . Batch one day 1 10 am or so  batch 2 10 am day 2 . i expect each batch to have more and more players in it.

that way they stagger launch while also adding more players over time

Oh and what version u bught wont matter. They have stated non of the early acess will have anything to do with what version u bought

so buying ce wont get u in 3 hrs or a day earlier them someone who bought the regular version. The same day and put in code withing a minute of u.

Originally posted by spaceport

I pre-ordered like 2 weeks ago.

Hope i at least get 3 days, but im ok with 1, it's just the way it is.

Hoping that the they stagger the early acces every 2 or 3 hours instead of days, you know, send invites, open 10 servers, 3 hours later (instead of 1 day) send more invites, open another 10 servers, etc.

Yeah.  It is what it is, I can't change how they do things.  One of the biggest problems I remember with the Rift launch though was that they had too MANY servers, and within a couple weeks of launch it was consolidation time.  I started on a server that hordes of people were claiming on the forums when they released the list, and it ended up being so crowded I switched over to another one that opened a day later.  It ended up being basically empty and I switched back to my original server.  That being said, Rift only had 1 starting area per faction.  That was the biggest fail of all, although I'm sure the hubs after the starter planets in TOR will be equally crazy.

Now I may be biased since I preordered myself but I do believe that the majority of Pre-orders ppl will get the full 5 days.  My reasoning behind this is when I got to beta test the game they had at least 30+ servers that I saw.  I maybe be wrong about the numbers but if they were able to have a weekend for anyone that signed up for free testing to play, I'm sure they can house all the pre-order ppl.  On a side note, does anyone know how many servers they had running during the testing?

The staggered early release makes sense to me up until a certain point in the game. In order to provide a better playing expereince in your starter zone they would need to limit the amount of players that are in it at one time. The amount of class specific instance quests are very limited and you'd want to do all the additional quests to keep up with gear and levels.

In the Empire, there was a quest to scan and look for suspicous sith acolytes. The amount of NPC you could scan in that immediate area I'd say were anywhere from 10-15. Imagine hundreds of people trying to scan and defeat the traitors. So I think for the sake of having some sort of control over the starter world, it make sense.

Now, to get out of the starter world who only take a few hours. So if they did it for a reason like this, I see no reason why they couldn't mail out e-mails saying you can start your early access once every 6 hours or so up until everyone is able to play te game.

Originally posted by epoq

Originally posted by veritas723

Originally posted by epoq

Yeah. If I get 1 day out of 5 I'll be pretty pissed.  Otherwise it should be Ok.

For CE pre-orders though, not only should you be guaranteed the full 5 days, it should also come with a free blowjob pass from a Bioware executive assistant/receptionist because that shyt is outrageously overpriced.

you do know... that if you haven't registered your code.  you'll get no early access... right?

 

that being said.  if you waited til the last moment to buy the CE.   that's also your fault.  CE arguably is for diehard fans.   ...i mean, the game was targeted for spring 2011.  the fact that it's x-mas 2011 means you're several months behind right there.

 

the fact that they're doing any early access is pretty nice.  gives people a chance to squat names.  get guilds up an running... front load your main out of the n00b hell holes.    

 

that being said. the system favors the people who've followed the game.   as it should be.     not simply people with the most disposable income.

 

 

 

 

{mod edit}

{mod edit} I was merely stating the fact that I basically don't understand BioWare's stance on the staggered access.  As I stated before, if it's for server load issues, if it can't handle everyone at once on day 1, then it won't be able to handle everyone on the official launch day when we are all playing at the same time.  To my knowledge they have multiple instances of the zones set up to offset spawn camping and wait times.  They stress test the games to make sure it can handle these loads beforehand.  They also know how many pre-orders they are going to have upfront before launch so they should know what to expect and know whether or not the servers can handle the chaos. 

Is it that you can't understand the concept of a staggered release?  Of the benefits of a staggered release?  Or why Bioware decided to use a staggered release?

OR are you just upset because things aren't going your way.  Please be honest.

Originally posted by Talonsin

Originally posted by epoq

 

 

Honestly, no matter how you look at it from a FAIR point of view, someone who pre-ordered in Dec should not get more than a days worth of early access.  Sorry mate, I think you are asking for more than you deserve.

If early access is a pre-order bonus then the ONLY fair way to do it is to give EVERYONE who pre-orders the same amount of time. Most retailers do not charge untill the release date anyway. So even if you decided to pre-order 6 months ago you still arent actually going to pay for the game any sooner than someone who buys the game on the 20th.

That said I really dont have a problem with how BW is doing the staggered pre-release. All a person has to do is spend 5min on there website and/or 5min on there forums to know what to expect (except for exactly how they are staggering it). If anyone like the OP isnt smart enough to read the information thats available thats what is called a "You issue. Not a Bioware issue".

During a weekend beta test they staggered the invites to simulate what they were going to do on Dec 15th... it took 3 days to get everyone in... So odds are the same thing will happen come head start

Dec 15th - First group goes in

Dec 16th - Second group goes in

Dec 17th - Final group goes in

Dec 20th - Official launch of the game

So if I'm correct even the people who pre-ordered today would still get 2-3 full days head start over someone who didn't preorder

My guild is entering together. I wonder how that will affect early access since we all ordered on different dates.

Originally posted by Brynn

My guild is entering together. I wonder how that will affect early access since we all ordered on different dates.

well when you ordered doesn't matter. its when you entered your code, which if you all put it in at the same time would mean you all get in at the same time.  however im guessing this isn't the case.  so you could either have the guild all wait to enter when whoever has the last entry time is allowed in or have each person enter when they are allowed and just meet up as they enter.

they will be putting out an early access faq sometime this week

Originally posted by gaou

Originally posted by Brynn

My guild is entering together. I wonder how that will affect early access since we all ordered on different dates.

  so you could either have the guild all wait to enter when whoever has the last entry time is allowed in or have each person enter when they are allowed and just meet up as they enter.

 

Something we're contending with as well. Generally, even if I am in the 1st round of access (unlikely due to my late registration with my account), I'll just make an alt and roll him/her up and save my main for when the rest of the guild arrives.

It's unlikely (IMO) that anyone would willingly wait to log in unless its VERY good friends or partners/relationship IRL

Originally posted by niceguy3978

Originally posted by MaGicBush

Originally posted by mcburly

Originally posted by MaGicBush

Originally posted by mcburly

are you seriously concerned if you cant play for 5 whole days. lol that is just world ending.

 

/sarcasm

Yes, because they charged an extra $5 for the early access. If it was included in the pre-order price I would not gripe at all.

I better get at least 4 of those days, or I will rage. I will be off work from the 15th to the 20th, so really hope days are not wasted.

I pre-ordered right after the open beta started(day of), so hopefully I beat those that pre-ordered after beta enough so that I can get in within the first day or two. Also no where when I was purchasing the game through origin did it mention anything about a staggered launch, it only showed the 5 day pre-access for $5.

they didnt charge an extra 5 bucks for head start. I paid for mine and got a code to enter to register my preorder. All i paid for was a collectors edition of the game, thats it. I did all that the day preorders were announced and in my email it said I would be notified at a later date of when I would have access to the head start.

 

Are you sure that 5 dollars wasnt what you put down to preorder it wherever you went and that it goes towards the purchase of the game when you get it. That is common preorder practice in a lot of places and some people still to this day dont realize that.

Yes they did, the game would be $55 but the pre-order fee made it $60. This is copy/pasted from my confirmation e-mail from origin:

Product SKU: 71xxx
Product Name: Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Digital Standard Edition Pre-Order Fee
Qty Ordered: 1
Amount: $5.00

The game costs 60$  you put 5$ down to "reserve" or pre-order.  They aren't chargin you extra.  You will pay the 55$ at launch for a total price of 60$ which is how much the standard edition of the game costs for everybody (well everybody in the U.S.).

If you saw my post a bit lower I stated that I was charged $60 already the day I pre-ordered it, not only $5. I only included the part shown in my e-mail as I was making a point it was a seperate charge.

I think this thread is just a tale of two types of people.

1. Those that read their contracts/plans, pay careful attention to details, plan ahead and get rewarded by following the company's directions

2. Those that skim directions/details, assume the world waits on them and their personal timeframe and complain when it doesn't, wait until the last minute for whatever reason to order, or decide to "play it safe" and wait for "reviews" and the indecisive.

Nothing wrong with either camp really (if procrastination is your thing), but like anything in life if don't read/research easily obtainable info and wait around, you're always going to be wondering why this guy/gal got this/that and you didn't. There are people still buying the pre-order now and thinking "I'll get early access on Day 1" because of other mmos they did this with, but every other mmo doesn't push as much volume as TOR will be pushing on launch day.

Didn't ToR also post somewhere the people who didn't pre-order might not even get to play AT launch?  They'd be waitlisted?

I wish I remember where I read that.

Good thing I ordered day 1, hour 3.